Nicolas Lodeiro to join Corinthians from Botafogo

Uruguayan international midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro has agrred a deal to move from Botafogo to Corinthians after the upcoming World Cup for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.5 million.

25 year-old Lodeiro, who started his club career with Nacional in his homeland before moving to Ajax in Holland, has won 24 caps for his country and will leave Botafogo after two years spent with the club.

Revered by the Rio de Janeiro club for helping them reach the Copa Libertadores for the first time in 18 years, Lodeiro has been wanted by Corinthians head coach Mario Menezes for some time to help add stability to a midfield that is heavy on attacking options such as Jadson and Renato Augusto, but light in terms of holding players.

First up for Lodeiro, however, is a World Cup campaign with Uruguay, where he will be expected to protect an ageing back four at the same time as grabbing possession for the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani to hurt teams at the other end.